WWII: Early Years - Key Events & Timeline PDF

# ERA OF WORLD WAR II ## 1. THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR - Germany invaded Poland on **September 1, 1939**. - Britain and France declared war on Germany on **September 3, 1939**, but did little to help Poland, which quickly fell to Germany. - The Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east on **Septembe...

# ERA OF WORLD WAR II ## 1. THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR - Germany invaded Poland on **September 1, 1939**. - Britain and France declared war on Germany on **September 3, 1939**, but did little to help Poland, which quickly fell to Germany. - The Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east on **September 17, 1939**. - The **"phony war"** ensued, in which Britain and France did little more than patrol their borders. - The Soviet Union invaded Finland on **November 30, 1939**. - Finland, the first country to resist a major Axis power, put up fierce resistance, but eventually signed an armistice in **March 1940**. - Germany attacked Denmark on **April 9, 1940** and Norway **two days later**. ## 2. FALL OF FRANCE AND ISOLATION OF BRITAIN, 1940-1941 - Germany invaded the **Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg** on **May 10, 1940**, outflanking the **Maginot Line**. - **Luxembourg** was occupied on **May 10, 1940**. - **Holland** was captured on **May 14, 1940**, and the city of Rotterdam was turned to rubble by bombing. - The Germans captured bridges over the Meuse River and the Albert Canal, giving them control of **Belgium**. - German armored columns swept through the Ardennes on **May 14, 1940**, breaking into France at Sedan. - German forces cut off the main French armies in France from Allied troops in Belgium. - On **May 28, 1940**, **King Leopold III** of Belgium surrendered his army to the Germans. - **British forces** evacuated from Dunkirk, with heavy losses but saving around 335,000 troops. - The fall of France completed the German conquest of Western Europe and left Britain isolated. ## 3. BREAK BETWEEN GERMANY AND RUSSIA AND PARTICIPATION OF THE UNITED STATES, 1941 - In **November 1940**, Germany proposed to the Soviet Union a plan for dividing the world into spheres of influence, with Russia joining the Axis. - **Joseph Stalin** rebuffed the offer, demanding that the Soviet Union have a free hand in Finland, Bulgaria, and Turkey, as well as the southern half of Sakhalin. - The split between Germany and Russia marked a turning point in the war. ## 4. THE MEDITERRANEAN AND THE FAR EAST - In **June 1940**, **Italy** declared war on Britain and France, invading southeastern France, crossing the Marne, and occupying Paris on **June 14, 1940**. - **Marshal Henri Pétain**, the new leader of France, signed an armistice with Germany on **June 21, 1940**, and the Vichy regime was established. - **General Charles de Gaulle** formed "Free French" forces in exile. - **Japan** joined the Axis in **September 1940**, and was rapidly expanding in Asia. - **Italy** invaded Greece in **October 1940**, but was repulsed by the Greek army. - **Germany invaded Greece in April 1941**, after Italy's defeat. - **Italy invaded Egypt in June 1940**, but was defeated by British forces. - The **Italian invasion of Ethiopia** was successful in **May 1941**, but was a strategic failure. - **Italy** failed to achieve a decisive victory in the Balkans, and was reliant on Germany for support. ## 5. UNITED STATES ENTERS THE WAR - The United States, alarmed by the rapid Axis victories and worried about the loss of Britain, began supporting Britain militarily. - Congress passed the **"two-ocean navy bill" in July 1941**, authorizing the construction of two hundred new warships. - The United States signed **"lend-lease" agreements with Britain in March 1941**, providing essential supplies. - The United States issued warnings against Japanese aggression in the Pacific. - The United States took over **Greenland in April 1941 and Iceland in July 1941**. - The United States entered World War II on **December 8, 1941**, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. This document provides a summary of key events during the early years of World War II, focusing on the rise of Germany, Italy, and Japan, and the subsequent response of Britain and the United States. While a summary, it provides information on the fall of France, the isolation of Britain, the expansion of the Axis powers, the changing dynamics of the war, and the eventual entry of the United States into the conflict.